Monthly Gallery Tours – May

Curator of MERL Collections, Dr Ollie Douglas, will be joined by a different specialist for each of these monthly tours. Together they will take visitors on a short conversational guided trip through the galleries approaching our collection from a different perspective that reflects the guest speaker’s expertise, ensuring you’ll learn something new every time.

Each tour will last about 45 minutes and will culminate in a pop-up display or an opportunity to peek behind the scenes. At the end of the session there’ll be a chance to ask questions and to chat with Ollie and his guest.

13 May: Guy Shrubsole – Writer and campaigner

This month, Ollie will be joined for a mini trespass in the galleries by the writer and land campaigner Guy Shrubsole. They’ll be discussing enclosures, past and present, and the ongoing need to defend rights of access to countryside spaces. How can ghostly remnants of temperate rainforests, stories of iconic points in the landscape, and new ways of mapping the land help in framing our relationship with rural life. What part can farmers, nature lovers, estate owners, and you play in shaping a more equitable future? Through books including The Lost Rainforests of Britain, Who Owns England?, and The Lie of the Land, Guy has made a compelling case for greater equity in access to land and ownership of it.

Further reading: Who Owns England blog